El Capitan (film)
Encyclopedia
El Capitan is a film
by filmmaker Fred Padula that captures one of the earliest ascents of The Nose
on El Capitan
in Yosemite Valley, California, USA. It was screened at the Banff Mountain Film Festival
in 1979 and won several awards at film festivals around the world.
as they do the 3000-feet (900 m) vertical ascent of
The Nose
, the classic first big-wall climb on El Capitan
. A fourth climber follows the group and films their ascent but is never seen in the movie. The climbers needs three days to reach the summit, which means they have to spend two nights sleeping on steep ledges waking to magnificent views. Several minutes of the film is filmed in the pitch black when the climbers are caught by nightfall before reaching a ledge to spend the night. The screen is dark when one climber is heard trying to belay
another when a bolt
breaks loose and the climbers fall, luckily unharmed. Most of the filming was done over a 6 week period probably in 1969 (possibly 1968 or 1970).
but instead tubular nylon webbing swami belts around their bodies and tie the rope into them. Typical nuts
can not been seen used; they often hammer piton
s into the cracks which they then use to secure themselves.
s
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
by filmmaker Fred Padula that captures one of the earliest ascents of The Nose
The Nose (El Capitan)
The Nose is one of the original technical climbing routes up El Capitan. Once considered impossible to climb, El Capitan is now the standard for big-wall climbing...
on El Capitan
El Capitan
El Capitan is a vertical rock formation in Yosemite National Park, located on the north side of Yosemite Valley, near its western end. The granite monolith extends about from base to summit along its tallest face, and is one of the world's favorite challenges for rock climbers.The formation was...
in Yosemite Valley, California, USA. It was screened at the Banff Mountain Film Festival
Banff Mountain Film Festival
The Banff Mountain Film Festival is an international film competition and an annual presentation of short films and documentaries about mountain culture, sports, and environment. It was launched in 1976 as The Banff Festival of Mountain Films by The Banff Centre and is held every fall in Banff,...
in 1979 and won several awards at film festivals around the world.
Plot
The film follows three climbersRock climbing
Rock climbing also lightly called 'The Gravity Game', is a sport in which participants climb up, down or across natural rock formations or artificial rock walls. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a pre-defined route without falling...
as they do the 3000-feet (900 m) vertical ascent of
The Nose
The Nose (El Capitan)
The Nose is one of the original technical climbing routes up El Capitan. Once considered impossible to climb, El Capitan is now the standard for big-wall climbing...
, the classic first big-wall climb on El Capitan
El Capitan
El Capitan is a vertical rock formation in Yosemite National Park, located on the north side of Yosemite Valley, near its western end. The granite monolith extends about from base to summit along its tallest face, and is one of the world's favorite challenges for rock climbers.The formation was...
. A fourth climber follows the group and films their ascent but is never seen in the movie. The climbers needs three days to reach the summit, which means they have to spend two nights sleeping on steep ledges waking to magnificent views. Several minutes of the film is filmed in the pitch black when the climbers are caught by nightfall before reaching a ledge to spend the night. The screen is dark when one climber is heard trying to belay
Belaying
thumb|200px|right|A belayer is belaying behind a lead climberBelaying refers to a variety of techniques used in climbing to exert friction on a climbing rope so that a falling climber does not fall very far...
another when a bolt
Bolt (climbing)
In rock climbing, a bolt is a permanent anchor fixed into a hole drilled in the rock as a form of protection. Most bolts are either self-anchoring expansion bolts or fixed in place with liquid resin....
breaks loose and the climbers fall, luckily unharmed. Most of the filming was done over a 6 week period probably in 1969 (possibly 1968 or 1970).
Climbing Techniques
The climbers use many techniques that are different from modern big-wall climbing. For example they do not use harnessesClimbing harness
A climbing harness is a piece of equipment used in certain types of rock-climbing, abseiling or other activities requiring the use of ropes to provide access or safety...
but instead tubular nylon webbing swami belts around their bodies and tie the rope into them. Typical nuts
Nut (climbing)
In rock climbing, a nut is a metal wedge threaded on a wire, used for protection by wedging it into a crack in the rock. Quickdraws are clipped to the nut wire by the ascending climber and the rope threads through the quickdraw. Nuts come in a variety of sizes and styles, and several different...
can not been seen used; they often hammer piton
Piton
In climbing, a piton is a metal spike that is driven into a crack or seam in the rock with a hammer, and which acts as an anchor to protect the climber against the consequences of a fall, or to assist progress in aid climbing...
s into the cracks which they then use to secure themselves.
Awards
The film has received awards at the following film festivalFilm festival
A film festival is an organised, extended presentation of films in one or more movie theaters or screening venues, usually in a single locality. More and more often film festivals show part of their films to the public by adding outdoor movie screenings...
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- La Plagne
- Trento
- Les Diablerets
- Munich Banff
- Telluride film festivals